Apparatus for the sumultaneous application to an oil well fish of the direct strain of a drill string and an independent jarring blow



United States Patent 72] Inventors Wayne N. Sutlift' and Jim L. Downen, both of 2931 Pierce Road,

Bakersfield, California 93300 [21] AppLNo. 850,196 [22] Filed Aug. 14, 1969 {45] Patented Nov. 10,1970

[54] APPARATUS FOR THE SUMULTANEOUS APPLICATION TO AN OIL WELL FISH OF THE DIRECT STRAIN OF A DRILL STRING AND AN Primary Eraminer.lames A. Leppink Attorney-Dana E. Keech ABSTRACT: An outer tubular mandrel is attachable to an oil well fish and an inner tubular mandrel is attachable to a drill livid-III;

SUI

string and slideable within the outer mandrel in splined relation therewith for a substantial but limited distance, said movement terminating with said outer mandrel hanging on said inner mandrel with the latter suspended on said drill string. An intermediate tubular mandrel is slideable in an annular space provided between said inner and outer mandrels, a sealed-off annular hydraulic dashpot being located between said outer mandrel and said intermediate mandrel so as to retard axial movement of said intermediate mandrel relative to said outer mandrel. A stack of springs is located below said intermediate mandrel surrounding a lower portion of said inner mandrel and an annular hammer surrounds said inner mandrel between the lower end of said intermediate mandrel and said springs. An annular anvil extends radially inwardly from said outer mandrel in upwardly space opposition to said hammer, A radial enlargement on the lower end of the inner mandrel engages said spring stack so as to compress the latter against said hammer when said inner mandrel is lifted by the drill string that limited distance allowed by the spline section of the tool. The compressing of the spring stack by this upward extension of the inner mandrel in the outer mandrel both sets the spring actuated jar mechanism of the tool for subsequently delivering an upward jarring blow to the fish but extends the tool to the point where a direct strain is then applied from the drill string through the tool to the fish. The strain thus placed on the fish is maintained by the rig operator so that said strain is in effect when the hydraulic dashpot valve trips to permit the compressed spring stack to rapidly accelerate the hammer into contact with the anvil of the too] thus delivering a jarring upward blow to the fish at the precise moment that the fish is being held under a high upward strain by the drill string.

Patenr dgNo 10, 1970 r 3,539,025

Sheet .a of 4 ATTORNEY.

Sheet 6 5 0 6 0 8 7 6 0 9 7 m 1 w u u m u m m M, 7 my M #7 m T a R ,3? v f F X m f 4 m S. 8 HL 1 m fl. N E E N V in W m w m w a rm Z N r X f ,ll y I 4 IE. 1 V 7/ 7 y a, L w 7 W. H 7 7 w w 7 w Patented Nov. 10, 1970 A TTOR/VE r.

. Patented 10, 1970 3,539,025

Sheet 4 of 4 xi i 3 E f INVENTORS.

WAYNE IV. SUTL IFF ATTORNEY.

APPARATUS Eon run SUMULTANEQUS snare-snort T ANOIL' WELLFISH or rus-nmscrts'rnsmomi mum. sTiuNcANn AN INDEPENDENT summo- BLOW SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The prior art includes deep well such .asa hydrostatic jar disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 2,783,045 which utili'zes'lifting on the drill string to empower a jar mechanism,-the.'triggering of which, to cause it to deliver a jarring blow upwardly on the object of thepresent inventionto provide a thereto an upward jarring blow;a'nd.whic h is free t'rom'depem.v

dence on the surrounding. hydrostaticwpressure:forpowering the jar. P

A more specific object is to rprovide such an apparatus in which the jar power mechanismis=.completely.excluded.from

direct contact with the well fluid.

Another object is to provide such an apparatusin which the jar power mechanism, thus isolated from the well. fluid, is restrained from jarring. action, .afterbeing empowered by pro:

lohgation of the tool by lifting on the drill string'juntil a strainis directly applied from the latter to the. fish, by an-intermediate tubular mandrel and an annular hydraulic gretarding mechanism which automatically hydraulically.retardsand then releases the jar hammer,.triggeri ng the, janblow and is then reset following the 7 jar blow-by the lowering-of thedrill string and the transmissionof the downward movement of the latter to said intermediate mandrel to restore thexlatter to its starting position. 7

It is also and object to provide such andv apparatus in which a Bellville spring stack or gas compressing cylinder .and piston v may alternatively beemployed in poweringrthejar hammer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF-TI-IE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1, 2 3, 4 and 5 placed .together-consecutively one beneath the other provides avertical-sectional .view of a preferred embodiment ofthe apparat us ofithe invention with 1 the parts thereof in retracted relationas at the start of a'jarring operation.

FIG.6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of analternative form of power mechanismfor-use insthe invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammaticwertical sectionalview of the invention at a reduced. scale and illustrates theparts of themvention in the relation they have-at thezinstantthe inner mandrel has beenlifted to the upwardclimits' of its freedom for longitudinal movement relative to the outer mandrel sothat thelatter is suspended on said inner mandrel. FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG-7' and the apparatus as these are disposedatthe.pointwhere the .up-

ward pressure'o'fthe spring: stackagainstxthe intermediate. mandrel has elevated the 'latter-byagradually overcoming the resistence of the dashpot mechanismuof the invention to a point where the restraint imposed ontsaid upward movement I of the intermediate mandrel is about-to be terminated so as to release the power storedv in said springstackrforzimpelling the hammer of the apparatus rapidly upwardly-to deliver a jarring blow against theanvil of the apparatus.

- FIG. 9 is'a view-sirnilarto FI G..8 and illustrates-the parts of the apparatus 'as they'are related'at the moment said jarring blow iSfiClIVCICdb) the upward'impactof said hammer on said anvil. I

FIG, 10' is a transverse sectionalvieivtakenwon the line IO-IOofFIG. 1'". f

FIG! IL is a .tran'svcrsesectional view :takenonthe line 1 ii riorslo g gp transverse sectional view :takenon the line iIIustratesthe-parts of v 2 osscmnrrou QFTI'IE'ZPREFERRED EMBODIMENT mandrelsare assembled-intelescopic relation, the inter: mediate mandrel beingconfined between and slideably. re-;

lated to the inner and outer-mandrels and the inner. mandrel 1 7 having a limited degree. of longitudinal freedom'of upward. movement relative .to the'outer mandrel so that the latter is, suspended on said inner mandrel when this reachesv the upper limit of said movement. v

from said splines to form'a cylindrical outer surface 24 which terminates at its upper end in an annular shoulder 25. Assem- I bled on the sub 19 so as to rotatably and slideably fit surface 24 is a split exteriorly threaded collar 30 which is .held I l together by taper'pins 31 and has exterior threads 32 terminate v ing at their upper'end-inashoulder 33. The sub 19 has an axial 1 circulating fluid passage 34-which terminates at its lowerend in a taper threaded box 35 into which thecorrespondingly threaded upper end of -a relatively long tube 36 screws. This tube comprises the major element of the inner tubular mandrel 16 and terminates at its lower end in external threads 37 (FIG. 5). A heavy tubular downward extension 38 of the inner mandrel 16 is provided with an enlarged head 39 having a threaded bore into which the lower end of tube 36 screws.

The split collar 30 forms the uppermost element of outer tubular mandrell7. and provides a stop shoulder in the upper 'end of a female SPliI'lQSUb 40. into the internally threaded;

upper end of, which said collar screws. The sub 40 has full length internal splines 45 which interengage with the male splines 23 to .transmittorque between the inner and outer mandrels 16 and 17 but allow/lengthwise sliding movement. between said'mandrels limited to the distance 46 shown. in, FIG.i1.'The sub 40 terminates downwardly in internal threads 1; 47 and has radial well fluid-circulating passages 48 which..- admit well fluid into the spline section of the tool for lubricating the same. Screwing upwardly into threads 47- is the-externally threaded. upper end portion 49 of hydraulic-dashpot housing sub 50. This sub has a bore 51 in its upperend portion 49 and acounter bore 52 an .upper' portion of which is en-' larged to form a sub. counter bore 53. Bore v51 is provided with H suitable threaded openings filled by threaded plugs 60 for in-g troducing operating oil into said sub. i

shoulder 63 at the juncture of these two bores. The lower end portion of sub 61 has external threads 64 so as to screw into the internally. threaded .upper end of a tube 65 which is rela; tively thin walled and has internal threads at its lower end to screw onto the. externally threaded upper end of a lower sub 66 which terminatesat its lower end in a tapered threaded pin a 67 which screws downwardly into a box 68 provided at the upper end of a-sub 69 from which is suspended mechanism (not shown) for'engaging an oil well fish for the recovery of which the apparatus 15 is provided.

The lower sub 66 of the outer tubular mandrelv l7. isprovided with an axial cylindrical bore, 70 at its lower end which connects upwardly with a counter bore 71 which slideabl'y; receives. the downward tubular extension 38 of innertubular mandrel l6 and has anannularrecess 72 in which an O-ring- 73 is installed for maintaining a sealed connection betwee sub 66 and inner mandrel 16.

' Referring specifically to the drawings, the-invention is there disclosed aszcomprising a'deep-well self-contained; self-1,": powered, jarringapparatuslS, the principal operative'parts of 5 which are an inner tubular mandrel l6, and outer tubular mandrel 17 and an intermediatetubular mandrel 18. These The intermediate mandrel 18 comprises a tube which closely slideably fits the exterior surface of tube 36 of inner mandrel 16 and also closely slideably fits, at its upper end, the bore 51 of sub 50 so that the O-ring 55 makes a liquid tight seal between the upper end 49 of sub 50 and the intermediate mandrel 18. The intermediate mandrel 18 is provided near its upper end with an internal annular recess 80 to accommodate and O-ring 81 which forms a liquid tight seal between intermediate mandrel 18 and inner tubular mandrel 16. Intermediate mandrel 18 is provided with an external annular enlargement 82 which is adapted to engage an annular shoulder 83 formed at the upper end of sub counter bore 53 to limit the upward movement of intermediate mandrel 18 relative to outer mandrel 17. 9

In FIG. 3, intermediate mandrel 18 is shown as having an outwardly thickened section 84 having external threads 85 on which an internally threaded thin annular sleeve 86 is screwed and then anchored fast to the intermediate mandrel as indicated at 87. The upper end of sleeve 86 is provided with a ground valve seat 88 which a correspondingly ground seat on an annular sleeve valve 89 engages face-to-face during a jarring operation by the apparatus 15 so as to restrict the flow of liquid past the valve sleeve 89 to such as will flow through the annular space between valve sleeve 89 and the surface of counter bore 52 of the sub 50. The annular valve sleeve 89 thus imposes a retarding effect on the upward movement of the intermediate mandrel 18 with respect to the outer mandrel as will be made clear in describing the operation of the invention.

The annular valve sleeve 89 has a free sliding relation with the outer and intermediate tubular mandrels l7 and 18 which is limited by itsengagement downwardly with sleeve 86 and upwardly by contact with the external annular enlargement 82 formed on the intermediate mandel (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Slideably fitting the space within counter bore 52 between sleeve 86 and shoulder 63 is a double seal ring 90 having external annular recesses 95 containing O-rings 96 and internal annular recesses 97 confining O-rings 98.

Surrounding the inner mandrel tube 36 and resting on the head 39 mounted thereon is a stack of dished Bellville-type spring washers 99. Also surrounding tube 36 and resting on top of the stack of springs 99 is a heavy tubular ram hammer 100 the upper end of which supports the lower end of intermediate mandrel 18 (FIG. 4). With the parts of the apparatus 15 in normal starting position the hammer 100 is disposed in axial opposition to an annular anvil 101 which is provided by the lower end of anvil sub 61.

OPERATION fish and fishing tool support the weight of the apparatus 15 and the latter supportsa certain amount of the weight of the drill string 22 which'rests downwardly thereon. With the apparatus thus collapsed,"as shown in FIGS. 1 to inclusive, and

v with voids in the apparatus confined between the intermediate mandrel l8 and the outer mandrel 17 and between the double seal ring 90 and the top portion 49 of sub 50 filled with a suitable light lubricating oil which has been injected into these voids through the openings now filled by screw plugs 60, the rig operator now raises the drill string 22 in a fairly rapid movement so as to extend the apparatus by a distance equal to the distance 46 shown'bn FIG. 1 so that engagement of the male splines 23 with the split collar 30 terminates the extension of the apparatus and causes the outer mandrel and everything suspended therefrom to be suspended from the inner mandrel l6 and drill string 22 as shown in FIG. 7. This extension of the apparatus by lifting the inner mandrels by the distance 46 relative to the outer mandrel, causes the inner mandrel to compress the stack of springs 99 by decreasing the length of the stack by thedistance 46 as shown in the operation view of FIG. 7. The dashpot means of the invention enclosed by the dashpot sub 50retards response of the intermediate mandrel 18 to the upward pressure thus placed on the same by the compressing of the spring stack 99 but allows the intermediate mandrel to be moved upwardly slowly, as the liquid in the dashpot system gradually escapes downwardly past the sleeve valve 89. This slow 'upward movement of the intermediate mandrel 18 continues until valve 89 has been shifted from the counter bore 52 of sub 50 into the sub counter bore 53 of said sub as shown in operational FIG. 8.

At this point in the operation the spring stack 99 is practically freed from restraint by the dashpot mechanism of the apparatus and results in the delivering of a jarring blow upwardly against the outer mandrel 17 which is connected through sub 69 with the fish said jarring blow therefore being applied for all practical purposes directly against the fish. This blow is delivered thus tothe fish while the rig operator maintains the fish under a constant upward strain applied by lifting on the drill string 22.

Referring now the FIG. 6, a pneumatic power storage mechanism 105 .is here disclosed as a modified means for powering the striking of a jarring blow by the apparatus 15. This mechanism makes use of the housing tube 65 of the outer mandrel 17 as cylinder 106 which connects by threads 107 to the upper end of sub 66. The mechanism 105 also makes use of the tube 36of the inner mandrel 16 as a tubular piston rod 108 external threads 109 being provided to mount thereon a solid piston 110 the latter having internal and external O-rings 111 and 112 to seal off the space between said piston and tubes 106 and 108.

The annular hammer is represented in the pneumatic power storage mechanism as an annular piston 113 which is freely slideable between and in sliding relation with tubes 108 and 106 and has O-rings 114 and 115 for sealing off the space between said piston hammer 113 and said tubes.

Any suitable means such as a ball check loading valve 116 is provided for introducing a gaseous power storage medium into the space 117 between the pistons and 113 so that this space is filled with said medium at a fairly high pressure when the apparatus 15 is introduced into the well. The operation of the" apparatus 15 when using the mechanism 105 is identically asabove described where a power storage means is provided comprising a stack of dished spring washers 99.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for the simultaneous application to an oil well fish of the direct upward strain of a drill string and of an independent upward jarring blow, said apparatus comprising:

and outer tubular mandrel attached, when said apparatus is in use, to said oil well fish; an inner tubular mandrel attached, when said apparatus is in use, to said drill string and slideable lengthwise for a limited distance within said outer mandrel in splined relation therewith when lifted by said drill string;

and intermediate tubular mandrel slideable lengthwise in a annular space provided therefor between said outer and inner mandrels;

annular hydraulic dashpot means between said intermediate mandrel and said outer mandrel and automatically operative to initially retard and then freely permit an endwise movement of said intermediate mandrel in said outer mandrel in the same direction taken by said inner mandrel in the extension of said apparatus and freely permitting an opposite endwise return movement of said intermediate mandrel in restoring said apparatus to its retracted starting position;

axially compressible energy storage means located below said intermediate mandrel and surrounding a lower portion of said inner mandrel;

annular hammer means surrounding said inner mandrel between said energy storage means and said intermediate mandrel;

' annular anvil means provided on and extending inwardly from said outer mandrel in axially spaced opposition to said hammer means; and

an annular enlargement on the lower end of said inner mandrel which compresses said energy storage means against said hammer, means when said drill string is lifted to extend said apparatus said limited distance, a continuation to lift on saiddrill string thereby transmitting a direct strain from said drill string to said'oil well fish, the automaticrelease of the energy in said storage means by said hydraulic dashpot, means after a strain has been transmitted and is being sustained directly from said drill string through saidouter mandrel to said fish, propelling said hammer means at high speed into axial collision with said anvil means thereby delivering an upward jarring blow to said fish.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said compressible energy storage means comprises a stack of Bellvilletype spring washers.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein:

said compressible energy storage means comprises a body of compressible fluid confined in a cylinder embodied in said outer mandrel and in which said inner mandrel operates as a hollow piston rod; a piston mounted on the lower end of said piston rod and sliding in said cylinder; said wherein said hammer means is freely slideable on said inner mandrel and within said cylinder inresponse to fluid pressures built up therein by axial elevation of said piston; and seal means preventing escape of fluid from said cylinder past said piston and hammer means. 4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said apparatus has a spline section at its upper end including:

a male spline sub embodied with said inner tubular mandrel the major upper portion of which sub is free of splines;

split collar means rotatably assembled on said spline free sub portion, said collar means being externally threaded and screwing into internal threads provided on said outer tubular mandrel;

internal splines on said outer mandrel extending axially from said internal threads to the bottom of said spline section;

relatively short external splines provided on said male spline sub near the lower end of-said spline section; and

said external splines meshing with said internal splines throughout the extension of said apparatus, caused by lift. ing on the drill string, but engaging said split collar means so as to transmit a strain directly from said drill string to said fish when the limit of said extension is reached.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein:

said spline means is embodied in a spline section at the upper end of the apparatus which limits the axial movement permissible between said inner and outer mandrels in extending and retracting said apparatus and prevents relative rotation therebetween;

means permitting access of will fluid to said spline section for lubrication thereof; and

seal means excluding the well fluid from all other operating parts of the apparatus.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein:

said spline section includes a male spline sub forming an upper end portion of said inner mandrel;

said intermediate mandrel closely slideably fitting said inner mandrel;

said seal means including and O-ring within the upper end portion of said intermediate mandrel and O-n'ng means at a corresponding level within said outer mandrel said 0- rings excluding well fluid from the narrow spaces located between the upper ends of said three mandrels; and

said male spline sub, when lowered, by lowering the drill string, engaging the upper end of said intermediate mandrel and forcing this downwardly thereby resetting the apparatus parts associated therewith for starting another jarring operation.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein the enlargement on the lower end of the inner mandrel for compressing the power storage means has:

the tubular downward extension exceeding in length the distance of axial movement between said inner and outer mandrels;

a lower sub provided in said outer mandrel having a bore slideably receiving said extension; and

O-ring means near the mouth of said bore excluding well fluid from the lower end of the annular space between said inner and outer mandrels. 

